Day 8: Arrival in France

Bonjour from France!  We arrived in Paris Friday morning and boarded a bus to head to Normandy. Our first stop was a convenience store outside of Paris.  Isaac picked out his favorite candy, which has a very different translation in French.  

"Sour Patch" -> "Very Bad" Kids

Next stop was Pegasus Bridge, which was the first objective of D-Day.  Around Midnight of June 6th, British paratroopers from the 6th Airborne landed in 6 gliders off the Orne River in Eastern Normandy near Caen.  Their objective was to take two bridges from the Germans to protect the Allies Eastern flank and avoid German reinforcements from pouring into Normandy.  The British used a sneak attack in the middle of the night to accomplish this mission in 18 minutes.  Pegasus Bridge has a great museum and memorial honoring these brave British soldiers.  

Replica of a British glider at Pegasus Bridge Museum

Dr. Antonin Dehays, our tour guide in Normandy

Lunch by the Bridge - Isaac and Kim (DC)

After lunch and a visit to the museum, we drove 10 km to Ouistreham, near the English Channel to visit a German bunker.  It was five stories tall and incredibly cramped.  According to Dr. Dehays, the British came across this bunker.  They asked the Germans to surrender, they refused, but invited the British to come upstairs.  The British soldiers weren't willing to trust the Germans, so they threatened to destroy the bunker.  Fifty-three Germans surrendered without a shot.  

Lookout point from the top of the Bunker - Looking out to Sword Beach

Marie Louise Osmont's House - Famous for her diary of the Normandy occupation

Marie's Grave

Dr. Dehays and Isaac at the abandoned church in Periers sur de Dan

 After our visit to Marie Osmont's house, our last stop was the Novotel Hotel in Bayeux.  We got a room key and a quick shower, then headed to Bayeux for dinner.  Isaac and I went to a cafe in Bayeux.  He had a Carbonara pizza with bacon, egg, and onions.  We shared some Escargot, and I had chicken with creme, a specialty in Normandy.  After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and to bed.  Day one was a great experience.  We're looking forward to five more.

Escargot was very tasty!